Steve Brown, left, Director of Field Operations for FuelCell Engery shows U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty the Global Technology Assistance Center during a tour in Danbury, Conn. July 2, 2014. They are seen here with the centerís manager, Tabitha Arneson.
Photo: Ned Gerard

DANBURY -- South Korea may not import a lot from the United States, but power plants creating nearly 100 megawatts of power in the country were built right here in Connecticut by FuelCell Energy.

"We can produce the products here more cost-efficiently than they can," company Chief Operating Officer Anthony Rauseo told U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty while she toured the company's facilities Wednesday.

Esty stopped by the company this week after FuelCell Energy was awarded nearly $5 million in grants from the federal government for research and development, which is handled at the company's headquarters on Great Pasture Road.

FuelCell received a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a fuel stack capable of converting natural gas or renewable biogas to methanol, which is more cost effective to store and transport than gas.

The company also received a $900,000 grant from the energy department to develop a unique electrochemical reactor that would allow hydrogen to be produced on site where needed, providing a lower cost of transporting fuel while reducing carbon emissions.

Esty said that during a time when federal purse strings are being held with clenched fists, to be awarded not one but two federal grants is quite an achievement.

"It's extraordinary and it shows the kind of great work that you are doing," Esty said while addressing the company's employees Wednesday. "We need to develop clean, affordable and reliable energy sources and frankly, we need to license that technology to the rest of the world."

The congresswoman said that renewable energy and fuel cell technology represents a "huge opportunity" for the state that will make Connecticut more competitive.

"We need to invest in these technologies," said Esty, a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. "We've been having a lot of hearings lately about the reliability of the grid and the need for more distributive generation. We can be a leader of that here in Connecticut. We may not have the cheapest labor costs but where we can compete is innovation. Historically that's been Connecticut's strength and it can be again."